Tsuruga Castle

Aizu-Wakamatsu's castle was founded in the fourteenth century, rebuilt as a five-storey keep in the seventeenth, and dismantled in 1874. The present keep is a 1965 concrete reconstruction, which is common enough; what is not common is the roof. Research established that the tiles in the last decades of the castle's life were red - an unusual iron-glazed tile developed locally to survive Aizu's freeze-thaw winters, where ordinary grey tile cracked - and in 2011 the roof was replaced in red accordingly, making it the only castle in Japan with that colouring. Inside is a museum of the domain. In the grounds is Rinkaku, a tea house of about 1600 that survived the castle's demolition by being moved away and was returned in 1990. The Aizu district is a lacquerware and sake centre and both are sold around the castle.

What you actually see

• A red-tiled keep - the only one in Japan, restored to that colour in 2011.
• Iron-glazed tile - developed locally to survive Aizu freeze-thaw winters.
• Rinkaku - a tea house of about 1600, moved away in 1874 and returned in 1990.
• The domain museum - inside the 1965 reconstructed keep.

When to go

Late April for blossom; all year otherwise. Two to three hours.

Honest expectations

The keep is a concrete reconstruction with a modern interior and a lift. Aizu winters are heavy with snow and access is harder. Displays are largely in Japanese. The town is a long way from any shinkansen line.

Nearby

Sazaedo is on Iimoriyama to the north-east; Ouchi-juku is south.